Brooklin Redmen in loyal hands of Wayne Colley

Former goalie looking to lead team to Mann Cup as coach and GM

Brian McNair

Wayne Colley would be forgiven for walking into the sunset and reaping the full benefits of the retirement he’s earned from the Town of Whitby.

He should be admired for not doing so with respect to the Brooklin Redmen.

Although he has inevitably ruffled some feathers along the way in his capacity as general manager and coach of the Redmen, it would be difficult to imagine anyone questioning Colley’s love and devotion to the storied franchise.

So, it’s easy to understand why Colley wants to go out on top, by winning another Mann Cup with the Redmen, just as he did four times as a goalie with the team from 1985 to 1990.

He’s worked hard to bring the team back to the level where it may well do so, even in the face of many challenges encountered in the summer game in this day and age.

Colley annually scratches his head as to who might and might not be available each summer, watching many a talented player either sit on the sidelines or demand a trade to a team better equipped to satisfy certain needs.

He’s far from perfect, and it seems has driven some away simply through a lack of communication, but he has managed to build the team back to the point where it has a nice mix of young, promising players and proven veterans.

Colley has an excellent assistant coach in Paul Stewart, who often exceeds his role but prefers to do so with little fanfare.

Stewart, it seems, has a closer relationship to many of the players, and helps bridge the gap of communication that likely exists in part to the amount of work on Colley’s plate.

Between them, they have put together a nice roster in advance of the team’s training camp, which opens May 12 at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre.

Colley, while still living in Oshawa, spends a good deal of summertime up north near Bancroft, where he rents out a cottage on Baptiste Lake.

But for at least another year, he plans on making his way back for his beloved Redmen.